US Economy Contracts in the Fourth Quarter of 2012

It’s never a good sign, but it’s not always bad. The U.S. economy shrank for the first time in more than three years in the fourth quarter, suggesting massive weakness in the economy caused by the massive redistribution of income during the last 32 years. The strength of consumer spending and business investment may suggest that the economy will grow, albeit slowly, this year.

Gross domestic product—the broadest measure of goods and services churned out by the economy—fell at a 0.1% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the government’s initial estimate out Wednesday. However, these early estimates are often revised, so it’s too early to tell if the contraction is ominous.

Some alleged experts suggest the contraction was caused by a curtailment of government spending, which is possible. If true, it goes to show that an economic policy of austerity is blatantly stupid, but Republicans like because it will tank the economy.

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The Military Industrial Complex: Is it the biggest welfare program of them all?

The military-industry complex is not the biggest government welfare program of all time. It might be second, and like the biggest welfare program, the military-industrial complex is welfare for the rich, the 1 percent. Such corporations as General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin rely heavily on government spending to keep their profits soaring, their dividends rising and their share prices climbing. The 1 percent owns most of their shares.

That’s why the United States has a bloated military that is greater in size than the next nine largest military’s in the world combined, although some analysts suggest the US spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined. That’s likely.

At the peak of the US conquest of Iraq, the US had somewhere in the vicinity of 150,000 mercenaries earning over a $100,000 each. The government called these mercenaries “contractors,” as if they had been contracted to erect buildings. No, these were just mercenaries that had signed contracts to be US mercenaries. If you count these folks, it is likely the US spends more on its military than all other nations in the world.

Income redistribution from the 99 to the 1 percent. That’s what military spending is all about. Tax money, the blood of working Americans, government lies, they’re all redistributed to the rich.

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Jefferson Smith for Mayor of Portland

Jefferson Smith should be the next mayor of Portland, Oregon. Why? The developers that run city hall don’t like him, so he can’t easily be purchased like a can of tomatoes, such as his rivals Charlie “Wall Street” Hales and Eileen “Loves Developer’s Boondoggles” Brady. Mr. Smith is against the new Columbia River Crossing Bridge, which nobody in their right mind would want since it does nothing to improve traffic conditions on the I-5 freeway; but Brady and Hales support it to the tune of roughly half a billion bucks, but then they’re not in their right minds; they’re in the pockets of the developers.

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The US Army is Pulling its Advertising from the Rush Limbaugh Show. But Guess How Many Others Have Done It?

In a shocking move, the United States Army is pulling its advertising from the Rush Limbaugh Show after his unwarranted and vicious verbal assault against Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. He called her a “slut” and a “prostitute” for her congressional testimony on behalf of contraceptive coverage within health insurance coverage. So far 141 groups have withdrawn or are planning to end advertising on the Limbaugh Show.

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Whitney Houston found dead in Calif. hotel, age 48

(Reuters) – Whitney Houston, whose soaring voice lifted her to the top of the pop music world but whose personal decline was fueled by years of drug use, died on Saturday afternoon in a Beverly Hills hotel room. She was 48.

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